Palm cards vs. door hangers: what each is for and how many to print
Both go door to door, but they do different jobs. Palm cards are for the voters you meet. Door hangers are for the ones who don't answer.
The short answer
A palm card is a small card you hand to a voter while you talk with them: your photo, your story and the reasons to vote for you. A door hanger hangs on the doorknob when nobody answers, so it has to make your case with no conversation at all. Most campaigns that knock doors need both, and they need more door hangers than they expect, because most doors don't open.
What is a palm card?
A palm card is the campaign's handshake on paper. The name comes from its size: it fits in a palm and slips into a pocket. Ours are 3.5" × 8.5", printed on both sides on heavy card stock.
What goes on it:
- Front: your name, the office, a friendly photo, and one line on why you're running.
- Back: three short reasons to vote for you, a line of personal background, your website, and the date of the election.
- The disclaimer: the required "Paid for by" line, usually at the bottom of the back. See disclaimer basics.
Palm cards work anywhere you meet people: doors, farmers markets, church parking lots, debates, and the line outside early voting. Candidates and volunteers should never leave the house without a stack.
What is a door hanger?
A door hanger is a tall card with a die-cut hole that hooks over a doorknob. Ours are 4.25" × 11". Because it's left behind, it has to work as a mini mailer with no help from you:
- Top: your name and the office, big enough to read from the porch.
- Middle: your photo and a short message. A handwritten-style "Sorry we missed you!" line, or a space where volunteers can sign their name, gets read more often.
- Bottom: when and how to vote, your website or a QR code (people hold door hangers, so QR codes work here), and the disclaimer.
One rule worth knowing: never put campaign material in a mailbox. Federal law reserves mailboxes for postage-paid mail. That's the job door hangers were made for.
Side by side
| Palm card | Door hanger | |
|---|---|---|
| Used when | You talk to someone | Nobody answers |
| Size | 3.5" × 8.5" | 4.25" × 11" |
| Main job | Back up the conversation | Replace the conversation |
| Best extras | Short bio, three reasons | Voting dates, QR code, "Sorry we missed you" |
| Also used at | Events, early voting, meetups | Lit drops in neighborhoods you can't canvass |
How many to order
Start from your canvass plan: how many doors you'll knock, and how often you'll go back.
- Door hangers: at most doors nobody answers, so plan on one door hanger for most of the doors you knock. If you do a lit drop (door hangers only, no knocking) in some neighborhoods, add those households too.
- Palm cards: one for each conversation you expect at the door, plus a supply for events and early-voting sites. Candidates go through palm cards quickly; put a stack in every volunteer kit.
- Second passes: if you'll canvass the same neighborhood twice, plan a second door hanger for the second pass, ideally with a new message close to Election Day.
A useful habit: reorder when you're half empty. Running out the weekend before early voting is the most common print emergency we see. The campaign print timeline shows when canvassing materials should be in hand.
Should you use one design for both?
Keep the look the same (colors, photo, name treatment) so voters connect them, but write each for its job. The palm card can lean on the conversation you just had. The door hanger has to introduce you from scratch and tell people how to vote.
Quick answers
What is a palm card in a political campaign? A small handheld card, usually about 3.5" × 8.5", that candidates and volunteers give to voters in person. It summarizes who the candidate is and why to vote for them.
Can I put campaign flyers in mailboxes? No. Mailboxes are for postage-paid mail only. Use a door hanger or tuck material in the door frame instead.
Door hanger or postcard? Use door hangers where volunteers are already walking, and EDDM postcards to reach every household in a neighborhood you can't cover on foot.